North Atlantic Treaty Organization
The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) was founded by 12 nations in 1949 to contain the threat of communism in Europe. The alliance was a key player during the Cold War and ensured the defence of Europe through it's Article V, which stated that an attack on one member would be considered an attack on all members, which included the United States. Over time, more nations joined NATO, and by 2019 the alliance consisted of 30 members. This number would only continue to grow after the formation of the ACMF, and NATO was one of the primary organizations that fought during the Third World War. History Formation (1949) Following the end of the Second World War, Europe had been split between two ideologies; the democracies of the west and communism in the east. Joseph Stalin had created an "iron curtain" of communist satellites in eastern Europe to defend the Soviet borders from an attack by the west, and the Red Army was now one of the largest and most formidable forces on the planet. The western democracies of France, the United Kingdom and Belgium were still devastated by the war, and in no way would individually be able to hold off an invasion from the Soviets. To prevent Stalin from picking off the nations of Europe one by one, 12 countries of the former Allied Powers met in Washington to sign the North Atlantic Treaty, ensuring the collective defence of each member nation. This signing marked the creation of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, NATO. Cold War (1950 - 1991) Throughout the Cold War, NATO was focused on containing the threat of communism in Russia and Eastern Europe. Two new members were added to the alliance in 1952, Turkey and Greece. The growth of NATO and the threat it posed to communism led to the creation of the Warsaw Pact, an alliance of communist satellites in Eastern Europe. For the next four decades, a nuclear arms race would take place between the two global superpowers of the United States and the Soviet Union, while their European allies were trapped in the centre. In 1955, the West German government was permitted to join NATO, putting the alliance right on the doorstep to the Warsaw Pact. During this period of time, there were several instances where nuclear war seemed on the horizon. In the later half of the Cold War, the Soviet Union and USA worked on disarmament and detente, hoping to ease tensions between the two rival factions. In 1982, after almost five decades of being under a dictatorship, Spain transitioned to a democracy and joined the alliance, leaving all of Western Europe, excluding Switzerland and Ireland, under NATO protection. The Cold War finally came to an end, when in 1990 the Berlin Wall was taken down and the nations of West and East Germany reunited under the western democratic government. The following year, Russia, Belarus and Ukraine split off from the USSR, leading to it's complete dissolution. The Cold War ended with a NATO victory, with democracy and capitalism prevailing over communism. Many soon began to call for an end to NATO, seeing as the threat that the alliance swore to protect from no longer existed. Instead, NATO began a period of reformation and re-evaluation, shifting their foreign policy onto international peacekeeping and the security of Europe. Post Cold War (1992 - 2025) After the Cold War, NATO became a key player in peacekeeping during the Yugoslav wars, where the federation of Balkan nations broke apart. A series of controversial bombing campaigns and interventionist policies took place, which led to many in Serbia and the Balkans to take an anti-NATO stance over the next few decades. NATO also intervened in support of Kosovo when the Republic broke away in the 2000's, furthering the anti-NATO view of the Serbian people. In 2001, Article V was invoked for the first time when Al-Qaeda terrorists launched an attack on several targets within the US, including the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. The United States reacted by declaring a "War on Terror" which would last over the next two decades, with support from NATO and international allies. Intervention in the Middle East against Baathist Iraq would take place in 2003, with the United States, United Kingdom and Poland spearheading the invasion of Iraq and the overthrow of Saddam Hussein. Further NATO intervention occurred in North Africa and the Middle East, including Libya, Syria and Mali. This led to criticism and controversy surrounding the alliance, with many calling for it's dissolution. A new threat had emerged that rivalled NATO in 2020, the Asian Continental Military Force, or ACMF. With major NATO rivals like Russia and China, the alliance was deemed a considerable threat to both European and International security. NATO's foreign policy shifted to containing ACMF influence, and a series of proxy conflicts took place over the next several years in an attempt to topple pro-ACMF governments. These proxy wars would soon boil over into full-on war in 2026, sparking the beginning of World War 3. World War 3 (2026 - 2032) Initially, NATO suffered major defeats to the Russians in eastern Europe. While their troops were working to mobilize to the front, Russian troops, already in position, swept through the Baltic nations within the first few months, only encountering resistance in Lithuania as Polish and German troops began to arrive. Through Belarus, Russian troops diverted south to cut off NATO reinforcements to Kiev. Ukrainian troops were ill-prepared and continuously harassed by pro-Russian insurgents within their own borders, leading to a complete withdrawal from eastern Ukraine. The Russian advance into eastern Europe continued to be slowed as more and more NATO reinforcements built up on the front, and was eventually stopped as Russia began crossing the Polish border. Georgia was quick to be overrun, as Turkish and Russian forces closed in on the small, mountain nation from both sides. The nearby country of Azerbaijan was also targeted by the ACMF due to it's pro-NATO stance and refusal to cooperate with Russia. The land was split up between Armenia, Iran and Russia, and led to complete ACMF dominance through the Caucasus. The nations of the Balkans combined their forces in Thrace to combat the Turkish advances into Greece and Bulgaria. To divert Turkish forces away from the Balkans, French, Italian and Spanish troops began preparing in Crete for an invasion of southern Turkey. NATO air power continued to dominate the skies over Europe, launching bombing campaigns against the ACMF. The invasion of southern Turkey launched early into 2028, with French and Italian forces spearheading the assault into the country. Soon, British and American reinforcements arrived, and it was starting to appear that Turkey risked collapse. Pro-democratic people in Turkey began an armed resistance against the government, supplied by NATO and supported with American air support. To prevent the loss of Turkey, Russian and Iranian reinforcements began to arrive in the country. After a successful push for several months, the invasion of southern Turkey bogged down into a stalemate. Meanwhile, the eastern front of Europe had been completely stalled. Neither side could break through the massive front, with minor offensives taking sizeable portions of land before a counteroffensive would force the attackers back to the line. In the Nordic countries, another front had opened between Finland, Sweden and Norway(with support from Denmark, Canada and the United States) against the Russians. The Nordic countries were attempted to seize Murmansk and the surrounding areas to cut off Russian naval access to the Arctic and the North Sea, while Russia hoped to knock out Finland in order to ensure the security of Saint Petersburg. The initial Russian offensives into Finland were successful, however the terrain and layout of Finland soon proved to become more challenging the further the Russians invaded, with small villages, railways and roads being destroyed to prevent an efficient supply line from being set up. In the north, the Nordic armies were advancing on Murmansk, with NATO air power targeting railroads that supplied the area. A determined Russian defence of Murmansk eventually halted the NATO advance on the city, and the Nordic front soon turned into a stalemate as well. During this time, NATO had also been supplying pro-NATO countries in North Africa, the Middle East and South America, helping them to combat ACMF aligned nations in those regions. Countries like Egypt, Morocco, Argentina and Israel received support during this time, establishing NATO supremacy throughout these areas of the world. The ACMF was looking for a new, daring plan to break the stalemate in Europe, and thus began to supply and reinforce their allies in South America, with ACMF troops appearing in Venezuela. In 2031, the Russians assumed direct control over the country, and Venezuela became an ACMF occupied territory on the continent. The Americans, now fearing a direct attack on American soil, began to build up defences in the Caribbean and increased their efforts to combat the ACMF in South America. Reinforcements were sent to Colombia, a NATO ally, and anti-air railguns were built in Puerto Rico. However, these defensive measures failed and in 2032, ACMF troops landed in Florida and the south coast USA. Troops from Europe began to be pulled back to America to fight off the southern invasion, with troops from Great Britain, Canada, France and Germany being deployed in the US to support the defence. Most of the ACMF landing sites barely made it off the shoreline, securing only a few small towns throughout the USA. Armed resistance to the occupation of these areas was high, with the heavily armed US population fighting back against the ACMF. However, the invasion of the USA was cut short during the nuclear exchange, which ended the war. Member States of NATO * Republic of Albania (2009) * Republic of Austria (2024) * Kingdom of Belgium (1949) * Bosnia & Herzegovina (2020) * Republic of Bulgaria (2004) * Canada (1949) * Republic of Croatia (2009) * Czech Republic (1999) * Kingdom of Denmark (1949) * Republic of Estonia (2004) * Republic of Finland (2024 * French Republic (1949) * Georgia (2025) * Federal Republic of Germany (1955) * Hellenic Republic (1952) * Hungary (1999) * Republic of Iceland (1949) * Italian Republic (1949) * Republic of Latvia (2004) * Republic of Lithuania (2004) * Grand Duchy of Luxembourg (1949) * Montenegro (2017) * Kingdom of The Netherlands (1949) * Republic of Northern Macedonia (2019) * Kingdom of Norway (1949) * Republic of Poland (1999) * Portuguese Republic (1949) * Romania (2004) * Slovak Republic (2004) * Republic of Slovenia (2004) * Kingdom of Spain (1982) * Kingdom of Sweden (2024) * Ukraine (2025) * United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (1949) * United States of America (1949)